Saturday, September 11, 2010

Basting Jim's New Woobie Quilt

Since it was lovely and cool today and the table on the porch is the perfect size and height, I basted Jim's new woobie quilt. You can search the labels on the right to see other posts about this Denyse Schmidt pattern called "Single Girl."

I use a curved upholstery needle for basting which should be not further apart than the hand. Miraculously, I didn't stab myself with it this time. There's an old tradition among quilters that it's good luck to bleed on the quilt you are making. That should make me a very lucky person. If you do bleed on the quilt you are working on, your own saliva is the very best stain remover.

This long, thin table is ideal for basting. I tape the back down to the table to keep it still and mark the side centers with pins. The batting comes next and then the top with the side centers also marked with pins. I line up the centers, secure with long pins and begin basting. Starting in the center with the excess resting on the chairs, I use long threads and baste the entire center area, then move the quilt to the two extremes to finish.

I've decided to use the large stippling stencil to quilt this one. More on that process later.

I am using 80/20 on this quilt, Dolores, because I know it's going to go in the wash at some point and yes, it's thin. My other favorite batt is Warm and Natural. Since I'm a hoop quilter, i tend to choose a thin batt. I baste with safety pins, too, on small projects like the baby quilts. Kind regards,Dana

It's looking great Dana! I saw another flimsy of that pattern recently and yours is so awesome! It lays so flat and the curves are perfect.I baste on a table just like you do, but use safety pins for any and all sizes. BUT I don't hand quilt - yet anyway! Hope your weekend is great.

Thanks so much, Mary. We have to give lots of credit for its laying flat to Denyse Schmidt. The pattern is very well designed. The weekend has been wonderful. I wish they were all three days long like last week, though!Warmest regards,Dana